Which principle ensures that information is protected from unauthorized access in the CIA triad?

The principle that ensures information is protected from unauthorized access in the CIA triad is confidentiality. Confidentiality refers to the practice of keeping sensitive information secret and ensuring that only authorized individuals can access it. This is achieved through various mechanisms such as encryption, access controls, and authentication measures.

In the CIA triad, which stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability, confidentiality specifically focuses on preventing unauthorized access and maintaining privacy. Effective confidentiality measures are crucial for protecting personal information, financial data, and other sensitive materials from breaches, thereby helping to build trust and security in data handling.

While integrity involves maintaining the accuracy and trustworthiness of data, and availability ensures that information is accessible to authorized users when needed, neither of these directly addresses the issue of unauthorized access. Authentication relates to verifying the identity of users but is not a principle of the triad itself; rather, it is a process that supports the principle of confidentiality by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access information.